Senior Year: Shego
by Fabius Maximus
Summary: Shego now faces a new life without crime, without doomsday devices...but with a seven year old daughter, new jobs and new challenges.  Sequel to Senior Year. Part II.
1. Chapter 1

Senior Year: Shego.

* * *

Note: This refers to some things that are in Kim Possible: Seniors. I'll try to keep the two relatively linked and if characters are directly interacting.

Also, the method to moderate Shego's seizures, is stolen, with great appreciation (which makes it an homage, I guess) from _Memory_ By Lois McMaster Bujold.

Finally, this story will be rather slower than others-- no great villains launching deadly attacks-- more Shego coming to grips with the fact that in the course of a few months she's had her world turned upside down-- and how she's going to make a new world, think you very much.

For those who have asked, Last Stop on the Titancis final chaper is in rewrite, and generally giving the same amount of trouble a porcupine does when an anaconda swallows it, but hopefully soon.

* * *

"I really have to thank you, Ms. Shego." The doctor (Genus and species: _Geekus__ Nerdus_), beamed at Shego. "Your cooperation has made this possible!" Shego growled through her headache.

Dr. Possible had told her that these people were the best. That they would help her get her head fixed. That she just had to cooperate with them.

She had cooperated…for an entire three _weeks!_ They had poked, prodded, had her piss into cups, stuck things into her…and this was the outcome.

"See, now that we can actually artificially _trigger_ your seizures, things will move much faster!" The green eyed mercenary glared at him.

"So, do you want to see my fire?"

"Oh, that's not necessary…now if you'll just take this cup…"

"Oh, I think it is…" Shego started, when Andrea's voice came through the open door.

"Walter, why don't you take a little break—I think Shego's just a bit tired."

"But we could trigger at least three more seizures today…" Walter said, proving why few nerds actually lived to adult hood. Andrea looked at Shego, and shook her head.

"No, Walter, I have to do some things with Shego….so go and check the records to see if we've missed anything."

"But,"

"Now, please…"

"Yes Dr. Possible." The doctor left, never realizing how close he'd come to sudden and horrifying demise.

"Finally." Shego said. "So, tell, me, Doctor, beyond the sadistic enjoyment of watching Shego froth and twitch, is there any reason for this?"

"Sadistic? Shego, I'm a brain surgeon, not a dentist." Andrea said, as Shego dressed herself and the two started to head for the hospital cafeteria… a dining location that was becoming all too common for Shego's tastes. Once they sat down with some coffee, Andrea continued.

"Until we knew what triggered the seizures, for certain, Shego, we couldn't risk doing anything to try and moderate them." She sighed, "Now, we know—although I'm afraid we'll have to trigger some more, just to be completely certain."

"Know what?" Shego said, in annoyance, thinking of the way they'd had to strap her down so they could use their insidious devices on her while she was doing the dying cockroach dance.

"Well…" Andrea paused, "You know that neural impulses are carried between the nerves by a complex of chemical and electrical reactions, correct?"

"Yes…"

"Well, in your case, it wasn't the damage—it was your body's attempts to heal the damage." Dr. Possible sighed. "Even Baby doesn't know much about what exactly Monkey Fist found, how he tapped into it… I think magic makes Baby's 'brain' hurt, but between Baby, Ron, and Sensei, to say nothing of some little side avenue research I've done, is I think that magic can safely be said to be a breakdown in reality." She shrugged, "Jonathon calls it a state where the kind of randomness you normally only see at the quantum level is occurring at the macro level, so the laws of physics aren't so much laws…as strong suggestions."

"And this is responsible for my little antics how?"

"When you were beaten and tortured, that breakdown led to changes in some of the DNA in your brain—a bit like you might get from radiation, only…" Andrea shrugged in slight irritation, "Magic, because if it had been radiation you would have turned to goo. Your comet powers healed you, but because of the damage, they didn't heal you quite back to normal." A flexscreen pad was produced from her bag and she called up a series of readouts.

"The result is a build up of neurotransmitters in your brain—when they get to a certain point-" The readouts spiked and turned red. "They're all released, causing a cascade effect which manifests as a seizure."

"Great, so how do you stop it."

"I don't think I can." Shego, with the cup of coffee on the way to her mouth, nearly spilled it on herself.

"You _can't?_" Dr. possible shook her head.

"No. The changes are too subtle…" Shego gulped.

"But…"

"But I have another idea." Andrea said. "Do you know anyone with diabetes?"

"A few… lots of mad scientists have health problems… keeps them in doors." Shego shrugged, "probably explains the whole conquer the world thing."

"Yes, well, you know that in most cases diabetes isn't curable—but by taking insulin and regulating diet, most of the effects can be eliminated or moderated." Shego nodded at that, as Andrea continued.

"Now, we can't use the same approach with your problem, but being as… " she indicated the quickly rising line that broke at the indicator of a seizure. ".. we can calculate the level of neurotransmitters that leads to a seizure, we can do this." She pointed to the screen, where they dropped off after a seizure.

"This?"

"Simple, the seizures are caused by a build up of neurotransmitters, so instead of waiting for it to happen, we figure out a way to conveniently trigger them, when _you_ want them triggered." She shrugged, "Call it preventative maintenance—you schedule your seizures rather than them happening without any warning."

"I'd really prefer plan "B", where you cure them."

"So would I, Shego, but…" Dr. Possible sighed, "I'm not a miracle worker, and we have to be very, _ver_y careful." Shego nodded.

"So…" Shego paused, "How long."

"A while—we have to make certain there's no permanent damage from the seizures." Andrea raised her hands at Shego's wide eyes. "We don't think so, but I want to be _absolutely_ certain." She looked back down at the flexscreen, "Then we have to put together a monitoring system you can use, and a triggering system that you can use—but one that isn't vulnerable to being hacked or duplicated…" She paused, "A lot of work."

"What about Dr. D or your husband?" Andrea laughed softly.

"Shego… those two would help, but they are both prone to believing they can do something just because they really, really need it to get done." She looked affectionate. "And since they both owe you a great deal, they might convince themselves…"

"That they have everything under control…yeah."

"And in any case, we're not there at all yet…I'm afraid you'll have to have more triggered seizures—to tell why sometimes you get _Grand Mals_ and other times you get _Petit Mals_, is there any level of neurotransmitter build up where we _can't_ trigger a seizure, and so on,"

"Blegh." Shego looked at her coffee. "We'll, let's hunt up, Walter… So I can amuse him again."

"Shego…he's not amused at all…he's _thrilled_. Most people his age have to content themselves with computer simulations…"

"I knew it." Shego said, "You're all frustrated mad scientists!"

"Why Shego, I'm not mad, in fact I'm in a very good mood right now." Dr. Possible said as she rose gracefully.

* * *

Later that night, Shego was in bed in her room at the Possibles, a cold compress to her head. There were only so many aspirins one could take, after all.

"Lab rats." She muttered to herself, looking out the window, where Kim's fanclub of newsvans was gone, at least. Fortunately, they hadn't had to resort to violence, although some of Bonnie's ideas had convinced Shego that the girl would have had a great career ahead of her as a super villain if she was so inclined.

"Well, hopefully…" She shut up. Great, now she was talking to herself. Shego groaned. She'd never make fun of one of Dr. D's labrats again in her life. It was at that moment that the vidphone rang, with the odd two tone ring that announced it was someone on her "call any time." list. Shego rolled over, quickly made certain she was decent (especially given some recent additions to that list) and answered.

And blinked.

Cally was on the phone, green eyes peering out at her birth mother.

"Shego?" Cally asked.

"Cally…" Shego said and blinked. "It's almost 11:30 where you are, is something-" Cally looked upset.

_Oh God, did something happen to her parents? Her brother, he is a cop…_ Shego felt an odd clutching sensation that she wasn't very used to.

"I… I got grounded, and it wasn't my fault!" Cally said, angrily, not noticing that Shego let out a tiny sigh.

"Grounded, sounds serious…"

"I know, I can't call my friends, or go out and play and I-" Abruptly Shego started right at her and the seven year old stopped talking. There was suddenly a light in Shego's eyes.

"Cally…"

"Yes Shego?" By common consent, Cally called Shego, "Shego" and Shego called Cally "Cally", it was if not what one normally got between mothers and their kids, it worked for Shego and Cally, especially given Shego's absence from her life up until this point. But, that wasn't what had Shego looking at her daughter, eyes narrowed.

"Your mom said you can't call your friends, and it's 11:30…does she know you're calling _me?_"

"Ummmm….." There was a long pause. Shego didn't say anything.

"No." Cally finished. "But you're kinda my mom as well, and that means I could call you-"

"**Cally**" Shego didn't raise her voice, but Cally fell silent.

_She's smart, so of course she'd figure out that now there's an alternate chain of command…but only seven so she doesn't realize that her parents and I are still feeling out how this is going to go…and her going behind their backs _isn't_ going to help._

"I need to talk to your mom. Now."

"But… I'm supposed to be in bed." Shego could see a great plan collapsing in Cally's eyes—she'd had a lot of practice watching Drakken's eyes when his plans fell apart.

"She's still up… is your father home?"

"No…he's out at a vigil."

"Then go get your mom… Or…." Shego continued, "If you think she'll get really angry if you leave your room, _I_ can call her." Cally paled.

"But…"

"But you should have thought of this." Shego said. "Cally, Izumi's your _mom_, and you can't go around trying to use me to get around her."

"But I have something to tell you…"

"Is it something that your mom can't hear?"

"….no." Cally said, unable to meet Shego, or rather the serious displeasure in Shego's voice and the way her lips had thinned out.

"Then _if_ she's willing to let you tell me after I talk to her, we will."

_Her house, her rules_ _Cally_ Shego thought, but she figured Cally had learned _that_, no reason to plasma fry a dead horse.

As Cally got up and headed for the door, Shego started to marshal her thoughts.

_You may not be the only one in trouble for this stunt, Cally.

* * *

_

TBC.


	2. Chapter 2

Confessions and Groundings.

* * *

Shego waited, took a drink of water and an aspirin. There was at least a minor hope that her headache was simply related to her seizures, and not the fact of Cally's stunt. Cally opened the door and walked down, with far less energy then Shego had previously seen.

"Cally, I _told_ you to go to-" Izumi's voice. "What? _What?_" Then there was nothing and the next thing Shego saw was Izumi, in a fluffy pink robe, following her daughter into the room.

She didn't look happy. Izumi looked at Shego for a moment.

"Hello Shego."

"Hi, Izumi." Then, Izumi turned to her daughter.

"Cally… Did Shego call you?" The girl looked at the ground for a moment. "Cally…." Izumi said again.

"No." Izumi nodded.

"Did you misunderstand that you were not to call anyone?"

"But Shego's my…"

"Cally, did you misunderstand?"

"No."

"I didn't think so, because if you had _asked_ me, I would have said yes. But you tried to go behind my back, _and_ I bet you wouldn't have told Shego this if she hadn't asked." Now Cally was staring at her feet. "Cally, _look_ at me." Cally's face was dragged up to face her mother, unwillingly.

"Good. Now, you can talk to Shego before we go on your week's computer and phone suspension."

"But it was only the weekend…." Outraged indignation.

"That was before this little stunt. Do you want to try for two weeks?" Indignation faded. Shego didn't smile, but evidently Cally was very aware of how far she could push her mother.

"No." But she did look upset. Very, upset, even if she wasn't crying, and that led to an unfamiliar pang in Shego's chest.

"So." Shego said, breaking in. "Your grounding?" Cally glared.

"I got in a fight at school, because someone was telling _lies _about you!" She didn't glare at Izumi. "And nobody seems to care that he was, they just wanted to ground me for trying to bury him!"

"Cally…" Shego paused. "Um…what lies was he telling about me?"

"That you walk around _naked_ on the beach!" Obviously, that was, in Cally's mind, somewhat worse than eating babies.

Shego couldn't help it. She started to laugh. Of all the things…

"Shego?" Cally asked her, "What's so funny?"

"Um…" Shego calmed down, and then started laughing again before she stifled her giggles. "Cally….he wasn't _lying._"

"_What? _But…but…" Shego looked at Cally and sighed. Probably it was time to explain.

"Cally, a lot of beaches in Europe and other places are… nude beaches. You don't have to wear clothes if you don't want to."

"But that's…."

"The way things are done in some places, Cally." Izumi said.

"Everyone can." Shego commented. "Kids, teenagers, old people, fat people…even people like…" she dredged up a name. "Ms. Slocum."

"Ew." Cally said and Shego caught a quick flash of agreement in Izumi's eyes.

_Maybe I conjured an image that didn't need to be conjured. _

"But anyway, Cally, it's… pretty normal in some places, and I guess someone took some pictures." Shego shrugged, "I'm sorry that you got into trouble for it…." She sighed, thinking hard.

_Do you really want to do this? In front of Izumi?_

_You would have to sometime… anyway, you're the deadly mercenary, who knows no fear. _

_OK, so why would I really want a seizure to hit right now._

"Cally… I think we need to talk about this. Was this the only fight you got into because of me?"

"No…"

"Well, the most dramatic." Izumi said. "But there have been a few."

_Great.__ Cally told everyone. _Shego sighed.

"Cally… I wasn't.. I mean I'm not… the nicest person."

"But you're an international mercenary—you fought Kim but then you saved her, so everything's ok, right?"

_Oh to be a kid._

"Cally, I didn't just fight Kim—I've done some things that were pretty nasty—and not in the 'take over the world' kind of way."

"Like what?" Cally's eyes were glowing.

"Well, I was at a beach and…" For some reason Shego was feeling a tightness in her chest. "A kid accidentally hit me with his ball, so I popped it. Made him cry." Because I wanted him to.

"Oh… but it was his fault, wasn't it?" That tight feeling was getting stronger by the moment, but Shego couldn't identify it.

"No." Shego said, with difficulty. "It wasn't…so when his mom came up to me I…" She paused, and blinked once. Cally's green eyes were curious.

"You got into a fight?"

"No! She was angry and trying to defend her son so I grabbed her and put her arm behind her back, smashed her face first into the sand and dug my knee into her cheek pinning her down, and slowly made her beg me, crying, to not break her arm in front of her son." Shego said, in a slow manner. Now she was remembering what that tight feeling was. It'd been a long, long time since she'd felt it.

Shame.

"But she could have fought back, right?" Cally asked, looking a little desperate.

"No Cally…she was a by-just a normal mom… I'm an "international mercenary", I knew more ways of fighting than she could imagine, not to mention being able to light my hands on fire and move faster than normal people…it wasn't a fight… I knew it would never be a fight I just wanted humiliate her in front of her kid ."

"But that's…" Cally didn't want to finish the sentence, but Shego did.

"What a bully would do? Yeah, Cally, it was." She paused. "So if that kid showed up and said things about me, would you be so ready to fight?"

"…"

"Cally?"

"No…" The voice was low, and Cally didn't meet Shego's eyes. Then, she started talking again. "But you wouldn't do that anymore would you?"

"I…" Shego was about to say she didn't know, but suddenly Izumi, standing behind Cally, looked at Shego and gave a very tiny shake of her head. "No." Shego finished, and Izumi nodded slightly, evidently satisfied.

"Oh…so it's OK." Cally said.

"Um… not really, it's just that if you go fight every time someone says bad things about me, you'll be spending most of your time in your room, and really, a lot of the not-nice things are _true_…"

"So I shouldn't fight them?"

"No… Cally, remember when I said I was just working on how to be _good_ before being a hero?"

"Yeah?"

"This is part of it. We're learning together."

"Oh."

"And with that, young lady, you go to the guest room, so I can talk to Shego…" Izumi paused, "And tomorrow your father and I will have another talk with you."

"Ok…" Cally said, looking distracted. "Shego?"

"Yeah.?"

"Good night…um, Love you." Shego blinked.

"'Night Cally…and… Love you too." As Cally left, Izumi sat down on her bed and looked at Shego.

"Interesting and true story…but why?"

"She…" Shego looked down, "She seemed like she was… I don't know…"

"A little too quick to defend your honor?" Izumi said, "Cally's young, Shego—you've moved from evil mutant warrior to friend of Kim's to her birth mom, and now I think she was at the point that you were the cool mercenary who doesn't follow any rules."

"What am I now? Beater of housewives?"

"Person who doesn't fit into the neat little pigeonholes kids like to keep…including teenagers I bet." Izumi finished and Shego nodded, thinking of how Kim sometimes looked a little…confused when she let Shego into her house.

"Not Ron though." Shego said.

"He strikes me as someone who thrives on weirdness."

"He'd have to be." Shego grinned. "He refuses to take anything, including himself, seriously…" A pause, "Well, with one exception. He takes Kim _very_ seriously…so he's serious at not letting her take herself seriously." She sighed. "I _really_ wish I hadn't told Cally…"

"But?" Shego shook her head.

"Secrets kinda got me into this whole mess, so I don't think it's a good idea… Cally needs to know about me…_all_ about me."

"Not all. Not yet." Izumi cautioned. "She's young, Shego—and don't go all the way to the _other_ end of the pendulum and fall on your own sword."

"That's surprising." Shego said, "I mean, you must hear a lot of 'sorry,' and 'I know better now.' In your day job."

"I do. Especially now." Izumi said, and suddenly grinned, "But you see, you didn't have the first part."

"First part?"

"Michael says if you put it in the bible, all would believe…or at least say they would—just as long as you have the first part." Shego was getting intrigued.

"_What_ first part?"

"'Your Honor, we the Jury find the defendant guilty on all counts…'" She smiled, "That, for some reason seems to trigger a deep need to show their sorrow in front of the judge."

"Does it work?"

"Given that up until that point they had claimed they had done nothing wrong? Not really." Izumi shrugged, "But Shego, you showed up before that—you didn't _have_ to, and honestly, you're not exactly in your comfort zone right now, are you?"

"Not even." Izumi made a gesture.

"So, you are going out of your way to try and…what?" She said quietly.

"I don't know…really…." Shego said, with a frustrated look, "I don't know."

"Which answers your question." Izumi said. "Whatever you're doing, it's not trying to just 'get out of trouble'… and that's something I see all too little of." She laughed softly, "Especially since you started by giving up… well, the paperwork arrived yesterday." Shego nodded. She and the Possible's family lawyer had spent several days over that, coming up with an ironclad legal document ceding any future claim on Cally Shego might have.

"And for that I thank you…" Izumi said, softly. "One drawback of being a lawyer is you can see legal nightmares coming, even if you don't know how to get out of them."

"Ah, C'mon, you know that wouldn't happen—one look at me and the Judge would toss the case so fast…" Izumi was shaking her head.

"Maybe not—there are some judges who take fraud in adoption cases, very, very seriously…and some DA's, like me, for example." She sighed. "That letter saved me from a nasty conflict between my oaths and my fears." Izumi paused and started up again. "And speaking of fears—what about your seizures? Have they figured out what is causing them?"

"Oh yes." Shego said, "And I think that I've discovered a new form of sadist—all of Dr. Possible's helpers." She paused, "They've figured out how to _trigger_ them and were so happy they just _had_ to keep pushing the button to watch me froth."

"Sounds like some of the doctors I've had, alright."

"It wouldn't be so bad if they weren't _so _excited about this new opportunity to push back science…they're like mini-Drakken's in training."

"Well, if they're working on a cure…"

"I don't think they can find one—at least according to Dr. Possible—the best I can hope for is, well, like an insulin shot, now and then."

"Better than the alternative…"

"Yeah, but it kinda limits what I can do—bounty hunter, or bodyguard, even a chance of a frothing fit, well…"

"Don't tell me you need to work!"

"Nah, I don't… but none of that money is, well…you know." _Clean,_ Shego filled in for herself. "So I'd really like a job—and in any case, do you know how _boring_ doing nothing gets?"

"Sometimes I'd like boring… from what I've heard on the news, you could always babysit Kim's brothers."

"I want to avoid boredom, not go stark raving insane…those two will one day put Dr. Demontor, Drakken and every other evil genius to shame…probably before they enter high school." Shego shuddered, "If you had any _idea_ of what they were like…"

"So let _them_ babysit _Cally._"

"And risk her picking up some of their habits…" Shego shuddered again, more elaborately, and then found herself catching a yawn. Izumi looked at her closely.

"Those sessions really do take a lot out of you." Shego nodded at that.

"Oh yeah…" Shego paused, feeling her eyes get heavy. "Izumi."

"Yes? If that lady came and charged me, what would you do?"

"Mm… Well, first of all, it wouldn't be in my jurisdiction—if it was, because of Cally I'd have to excuse myself from the case, and leave it to someone else." She paused, "It sounds a bit like a simple assault, but the fact that the woman came and confronted you would count in your favor—the fact that you were so much more skilled then she was would count against, as well as the fact that you initiated the confrontation with her child, and how you kept going even after it was plain that she couldn't fight back." Izumi shrugged, "Call it a slam dunk misdemeanor, and a very, _very_ iffy felony, since you never lit your hands up, and any good defense attorney could make a lot out of that." In a different tone, she continued, "Of course, if it's still in the statute of limitations, it'd be a complete route in a civil case—there they could bring up the fact that you didn't have to do that, and it's a lot easier to get a jury to find against you when it's only money."

"And you?" Shego asked.

"And me…" Izumi sighed, "You're different…but yeah, I bet you don't need anyone to tell you that you've put on a lot of baggage that is going to come to haunt you…"

"Yeah." _Maybe including big guns—I just didn't piss off housewives._ Izumi was looking pensive.

"Shego."

"Yeah?" Izumi thought about it.

"Some advice—I've seen gang members who went straight—_really _went straight, and they tend to do a few things, that you might want to keep in mind."

"Yeah?"

"They focus on the here and now—I'm not saying that they forget about what they did, or that they may have some karmic balance coming due, but the first objective is to live—one day at a time, if need be."

"Sounds easier than it is." Shego said, a tiny snark entering her voice.

"It always is." Izumi said. "But it's important." She laughed, lightly. "and if Michael hears me talking like this he'll have _me_ at church."

"To preach?"

"To talk to the finance committee." Shego laughed at that one, unexpectedly. Izumi blinked.

"What?"

"It's just… so odd—the way thing have kept flipping back and forth between normal, and…weird. I'm not used to it."

"I think you'll get used to it." Izumi said, and then, Shego found herself yawning again, unable to control it.

"Sorry."

"don't be—I think you need to get some sleep—how would your doctors feel if you fell asleep on them?"

"Probably happy—I don't threaten as much when I'm asleep." Shego said, but nodded. "Night Izumi."

"Goodnight Shego—and I'll talk to Cally tomorrow, if she has any questions."

"Thanks."

Later, Shego was laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, when she rolled over and grabbed something that Cally had sent her. A picture of Cally, riding a horse. Shego sighed, looked at it, held it for a moment, and put it back on the table next to the bed. Moments later, she was sleeping, peacefully.

TBC


End file.
